The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department provided 144 naloxone kits Tuesday at its first class to train the community on the overdose-reversing medication. Due to overwhelming demand, the health department plans to hold additional community classes to be announced soon.

Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, blocks opiate receptors in the brain, works in 1-3 minutes and lasts 30-90 minutes. It can cause withdrawal symptoms such as nausea and disorientation, but there is no risk for abuse or addiction. If given in a timely manner, the antidote can prevent deaths from overdoses due to opioid drugs, such as oxycodone or heroin.

“Ready access to naloxone at home or in the community can save lives,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Kraig Humbaugh. “Knowing when and how to use Narcan gives people a chance for recovery in the future.”

The free naloxone kits were available to the community through a partnership between the health department, Drug Free Lex and the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, part of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, and a bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Catherine Lowe, Sarah McMahan, Tara Mason and John Moses attended the House of God Health Fair on held July 20 in the church’s gymnasium at 866 Georgetown Street. About 200 people attended and were happy to receive health information, including tobacco use/cessation, diabetes, high blood pressure, nutrition for all ages and safe sex!

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department again had a strong presence at the annual Lexington Pride Festival. This year’s event was held Saturday, June 24, in downtown Lexington, and our employees staffed a booth to distribute condoms, safe sex information, health education and more!

Thirty staff members from the Public Health Clinic, WIC, medical records, clerical, DIOS and TB spent Friday putting together 171 breakfast care packages for the Ronald McDonald House as part of the section’s annual team-building project. The Ronald McDonald House serves families of children 21 years and under that are being treated by local hospitals by providing housing options for $10 per night while the child is hospitalized. While seeking ideas for this year’s project, staff learned that the Ronald McDonald House often needs “grab-and-go” packages for families who are heading out in the mornings to go to an area hospital to see their child.

After the morning packaging the items, the LFCHD team enjoyed an outing for bowling and pizza.

Monday was National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day, and to honor the day, our staff provided special free testing on campus for University of Kentucky students in addition to normal testing hours at 650 Newtown Pike.

In the United States, almost 10,000 people ages 13 to 24 were diagnosed with HIV in 2014, and 81 percent of those were ages 20-24.

In addition to social media posts, the special event received coverage in the UK student newspaper, The Kentucky Kernel.

Public Health Clinic, WIC and Communicable Disease employees recently participated in a retreat designed to help each section learn about the other as they continue transitioning to one group: Communicable Disease and Clinical Services. Jill Keys serves as the manager of this section.

Employees played “get to know you” games and held a brainstorming session on how they could work more efficiently and effectively as a team. Compliance & Projects Officer Katrina Howard presented about strategic planning and why it’s important for the department. Staff also put together a puzzle to show how everyone plays a part.

The event received very positive response from the participants. More information about the transition will follow in the coming days, so be sure to watch for updates in your email and/or Healthy Times!

Oluwasubomi “Subomi” Akindoju, CDC Public Health intern, came to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department to gain additional knowledge about Public Health.

Subomi was an intern with the Targeted Prevention and the TB teams. She was a great asset during the time spent with us. The Communicable Disease team would like to extend their appreciation to Subomi for the support she provided each program.

On Saturday, June 25, Lexington held its 9th annual Lexington Pride Festival, hosted by Pride Community Services. The Lexington Pride festival is the cities second largest free event that offers entertainment, food and beverages, and a chance for the Targeted Prevention team to conduct STI/HIV outreach. Many vendors and organizations were in attendance. Our team partnered with AVOL to provide free HIV screenings. Julie Moon, Lynnsey McGarrh, John Moses, Aaron Mosley Jr., and Beth Stroupe all participated in this year’s event. They distributed approximately 2,500 condoms, disseminated information about our Needle Exchange Program and other health department services, and provided education regarding safe sex practices. The team continues to conduct free HIV testing to all those who are interested in knowing their status. For additional information please contact the targeted prevention team at 859-288-2437.

The Targeted Prevention team would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Humbaugh, who came to the event to show his support. He worked diligently alongside DIS to offer event participants information about what the health department had to offer our community. The targeted prevention team has now officially inducted Dr. Humbaugh as an unofficial “in-house DIS”!